The Taste Buds Say ...

The Taste Buds Say ... -- 22 January 2010

To add some variety to the left-over chicken, I decided to cook some of the frozen mixed vegetables for dinner. Nothing fancy, I just added some butter to the carrots, peas and corn. I know it is still a far cry from the 5 servings of vegetables one is supposed to have but it was a start.

As our meal was about to end, I requested that the veggies be consumed so that we wouldn't have to store it in the ref as left-overs for another meal. RD was happy to oblige.

GI commented, "I don't consider those as vegetables. They are side dishes."

He rattled off a litany of those he considered as vegetables. The list was comprised of mostly either green and leafy or "unpopular" vegetables including kangkong, ampalaya and okra.

I laughed, "So you mean peas, carrots and corn are not considered as vegetables?"

"No!" Ardi replied placing some vegetables on his spoon. "These taste good."

=== o 0 o ===

It is said that FRUITS are the parts of the plants that contain the seed while VEGETABLES are edible plants or parts of plants other than a sweet fruit or seed.

So the obvious fruits would include mangoes, apples, oranges, peaches, pears, grapes, strawberries, bananas, watermelons, cantaloupes, star apples, atis (sugar apple / sweetsop), guyabano (soursop), papaya, rambutan, guavas, langka (jackfruits), durian, santol, etc.

The obvious vegetables could be classified (according to Wikipedia) as

• flower buds -- broccoli, cauliflower
• seeds -- sweet corn, peas, beans
• leaves - kangkong, pechay, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, bok choy, Chinese cabbage (and all those other greens which the kids don't particularly like)
• leaf sheaths -- leeks
• stems of leaves -- celery
• stem shoots -- asparagus, bamboo shoots, ginger
• tubers -- potatoes, sweet potatoes
• whole plant sprouts -- mung beans
• roots -- carrots, beets, radishes,
• bulbs -- onion, garlic

(and more)

In between, meaning they are technically fruits but are not normally called such, would be those which have seeds but are not quite called fruits like tomatoes, cucumber, squash, zucchinis, pumpkins, capsicums (bell peppers), eggplants, okra, chili pepper.

=== o 0 o ===

In the final analysis, all of the above will go down the drain because as far as my boys are concerned, if they taste good, the probability of their being vegetables is close to nil. On the other hand, as far as MyGirl is concerned, she has a different way to tell if something is a fruit. Want to know what the basis is?

"Carrots are fruits because so-and-so brought carrots for fruit break."

So there.

Google Doodle

I re-read my blog posts which have been reflective of how I have felt the past few days, then it got topped off by the news of the fire. Things are a bit better now, so I am posting this just to tell you that I am fine.

In case you didn't catch this at Google last 03 February. This made me smile.

Fire!

15 March 2010

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/metro/view/20100315-258890/Fire-destroys-4-apartments-in-Makati-no-one-hurt

Fire destroys 4 apartments in Makati; no one hurt

By Niña Calleja
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:01:00 03/15/2010

Filed Under: Fire, Accidents (general)

MANILA, Philippines -- An hour-long fire, believed to have caused by children playing matches, razed four apartments in Makati City on Monday afternoon.

The fire started around 3:05 p.m. from an unoccupied apartment owned by a certain Geofilo Yatco on Tanguile St., Barangay San Antonio, Makati City, Senior Fire Officer 2 Gerson Moncada, arson investigator, said.

It spread quickly to the next three apartments. Firefighters declared a "fire out" at 4:25 pm.

Moncada said they placed the alarm status at Task Force Alpha because the houses near the apartments on fire were made of wood and light materials. Most fire trucks at the headquarters of the Makati Bureau of Fire had to be deployed in the area.

According to residents along Tanguile St., several children were seen playing inside the unoccupied apartment.

“Either they played with matches or tried to light up scrap materials inside the apartment,” Moncada said.

Fire investigators placed the estimate of the damage at P300,000.

Moncada said two fire volunteers were slightly injured while struggling to put out the fire.

Dreams

I watched this movie recently and it made me cry. I don't particularly like the premise of the movie but Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn had great lines in that movie. The main theme song was lovely and sad at the same time. When one wants to feel loved, this love song comes highly recommended (just don't do what they did in the movie).

These modified lyrics are sung in the movie and are not part of the theme song but these are my favorite lyrics. These lyrics ring loud and clear. You see there are days, like today, that I just wish I could be on some faraway star, found only in dreams. However these lyrics remind me that sometimes dreams don't always come true.

Dreams make promises they can’t keep
They can swindle you while you sleep
And the morning finds you wondering why
It seems when we’re young in dreams we trust
Maybe growing up is just
Kissing certain dreams goodbye…

On a lighter note, I should remind myself that maybe, just maybe ... I should dream what I want to dream; go where I want to go, be what I want to be, because I have only one life and one chance to do all the things I dream of, and want to do.

The Smile

MacGyver recently burned a compilation of songs for me. I didn't ask him what the criteria was for the selection but I figure they are songs which he knows I like, songs he likes me to hear, and perhaps songs which he associates with me.

This is one of the songs in the CD he made for me. It's a nice song although it is quite sad.

All I can say for now, when I listen to this song, is that I can't afford to lose my smile.

Home

I was having a difficult time falling asleep last night. The kids were all tucked in and sleeping in their respective beds. MacGyver was already snoring beside me.

I tossed and turned but could not fall asleep.

The temperature was dropping to point of chilly. I curled up and tucked one hand under my pillow as the other tugged at the quilt.

In the still of the night, the ticking of our wall clock was louder than usual.

I closed my eyes. When one's eyes are closed, one can choose to be in a different place, in a different time.

I chose to be at Cebu Avenue.

You see, if I were there and I could not fall asleep, I would walk across the study room. I would pass the LazyBoys with the encyclopedias behind me. There would be study tables on both sides. The Sacred Heart would be on my right. I would walk past the door to the living room then past the door to Z's (formerly J's) room. I would enter Father and Mother's room. Once inside, I would see the round bed. Surely there would be layers of blankets and comforters on the bed to keep me warm.

Father would be on the left, Mother would be on the right. If I were lucky, there would be just enough space for me to squeeze in between.

I would be able to snuggle up and fall asleep.

So I closed my eyes, and that is where I went... HOME.

(click here for the matching song and video)

Four Seasons

I am reading this book by Alan Alda entitled Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself. It is an interesting book. It includes many of the speeches Alan Alda has made over the years to a variety of groups. Plus since the book I borrowed was from the Large Print section, it is also easy reading for the eyes. (Gosh, I'm getting old.)

This is what he wrote about the movie The Four Seasons which I found interesting: Finally, I saw that this was a story of the four seasons of friendship: spring, where everyone is fresh and attractive and new to one another; summer, where the glare of the sun begins to show everyone's blemishes; autumn, where the fig leaves finally fall and you see who they really are; and the winter of friendship, where you either drop them and start all over again with another springtime set of friends or take them as they are and huddle against the cold winds of aging.

This process of going through seasons is true for many things -- friendships, as Alan Alda had written, as well as life. I guess what is important is that we go through each season as they come, learn as much as we can from them and enjoy the journey while we are there.

(When I think of Alan Alda, I cannot help think of LondonEye. I am not sure why. I was certainly a TV addict and M*A*S*H was definitely one of the series we watched together when we were kids. I think LondonEye loved Hawkeye Pierce more than I did which is why she comes to mind. Yes, LondonEye was definitely my TV partner-in-crime. Those were the days.)

Like Mother, Like Child

When we were kids, our parents bought us girls Hawaiian grass skirts. If I remember correctly, our grass skirts came in different colors. Mine was yellow, Eldest Sis's was pink, LondonEye's was red. I can't remember what the color of the grass skirt of Sister Deer was. (Yellow like mine? I honestly don't remember.)

These grass skirts came with matching tops. I am sure you have seen hula dancers and you know that their tops are essentially bra-like bikini tops. Now, we got these grass skirts when we were teeny-tiny girls. Hang on, let me clarify my previous statement. Eldest Sis and Sister Deer were teeny-tiny and skinny; LondonEye and I were not so tiny and definitely far from teeny-tiny. Anyway, whenever we were made to wear these things, my older siblings would just don the bras and grass skirts without much ado. While I would always be so conscious about all the exposed skin in my midsection. (Hey, my waist, my back and my bellybutton hardly see the light of day.) I would pull my grass skirt way above my waist so that it touched the base of the bra top. As a result, my bra and grass skirt ensemble ended up as a one-piece outfit, instead of a two-piece thing. (Minimal skin exposure, just the way I liked it. If you must know, I only started wearing sleeveless shirts in 2004 or thereabouts.)

I was quite relieved when Father and Mother let us off with a couple of Pearly Shells and I could change back to my own clothes. Eventually, even the couple of Pearly Shells were no longer asked of us and the grass skirts were hung on hooks in our closets.

Fast forward to the 21st century. I joined the summer outing of PSBank in 2007 and discovered such a thing as a tankini. The look of a one-piece bathing suit (no midsection exposure) but the convenience of a two-piece (no need to strip naked to pee).

Nice!!!

We got MyGirl one of those two-piece bathing suits and she wore it out before we left for Australia. I would have gotten her a tankini if I had found one, but SM had these two-piece swim suits right at the entrance of the store by the walkway which MyGirl had fallen in love with, so that was that. We were unable to find a suitable replacement before we left Manila (since it was already long after summer when we left), so for this summer, she had to make do with a one-piece swimsuit we had in her shipping box.

All throughout summer, every time we went for a swim, I would tell myself that we should go and find a tankini for MyGirl since she normally ends up having to use the bathroom and has to struggle with her bathing suit. As Autumn approached, I imagined that there would be less and less swimsuits on display in the stores so last weekend, when MyGirl and I were together in a mall, we took the time to check out the (last) available swimsuits.

Thankfully there were still a few pieces left and almost all of them were on discount. Some were too big. Others were too small. But I found out that the most important guiding principle for MyGirl was that the swim suit should not allow her belly button to be exposed. (I just had to laugh. I knew exactly where she was coming from.)

We ended up getting two since they were marked down and fit MyGirl's criteria. (Of course now it is just too cold to swim.)

It's Cold Outside

It is officially Autumn. To make sure that we KNOW winter is approaching, the weather has decided to give us cold early mornings.

We have yet to get winter uniforms for the kids but at least for now the boys have their jumpers (sweaters) ...

... and MyGirl has her jacket.

Cupcake Creations

MyGirl got this wonderful Cupcake Creations set from Mumoffive for her birthday. It has truly inspired MyGirl to bake cupcakes.

On our first run, we made TRIPLE WHITE cupcakes. (They were truly sweet!)

3 eggs

1 c butter, softened

1 c caster sugar

1/2 c milk

1 1/2 c self-raising flour, sifted

1 t vanilla extract

100g white chocolate

Topping:

200 g white chocolate buttons

1 T butter

1/3 c thickened cream

1/2 c butter, room temperature

1/2 c icing (powdered) sugar

1. Preheat oven to 160C (320F). Line a 12-cupcake pan with cupcake papers. In a medium-sized bowl, lightly beat eggs, add butter and sugar, then mix until light and fluffy.

2. Add milk, flour and vanilla. Stir to combine. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add white chocolate and stir through the mixture.

3. Divide mixture evenly between cupcake papers. Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and firm to touch. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool fully before icing.

Topping:

1. Combine 160g white chocolate with 1 T butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. As the mixture begins to melt, add the cream slowly then reduce heat to low, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool.

2. Combine butter and icing powder, and mix with a wooden spoon. Beat with the spoon until light and fluffy. Add melted chocolate, combine, then spoon onto cupcakes. Top with remaining white chocolate buttons.

We opted NOT to make the topping when we baked our cupcakes. I think all that butter, sugar and white chocolate provided sufficient calories.

Of course, when we feel the need for something yummy, we give MyGirl a nudge and this is what we do ....

Take note that we use our mini-muffin pan. Somehow having several smaller muffins removes some of the guilt of having regular-sized ones.